Sea of Galilee

In late November we went back up north to spend the weekend at and around the Sea of Galilee.  The kids didn’t have school that Friday, so we got an early start.  About half way there (just outside of Haifa) was an excellent adventure center with VERY high rock walls, climbing structures, zip lines, etc.

Around the Galilee are many Christian sites which we didn’t spend much time at.  But one of the sites we did walk through is Korazim National Park.  It contains the ruins of an ancient Byzantine town.  It is a popular stop for Christian pilgrims.

As the morning warmed up, we drove back down to the Sea of Galilee, stopping for a few photo ops:

We then boarded a waterski boat so that the kids could demonstrate the skills they learned at Tevya!

Jacob went first to show off his wake-board and waterski skills.  Pretty good!

Next was Allie on the knee board:

Then Mikey…

And finally, the old man’s turn to show that he can still keep up!

Thanks to Mikey for driving us back to the dock:

We began the next morning exploring Nimrod Castle, a medieval Ayyubid castle situated on the southern slope of Mount Hermon.  It was built with the purpose of guarding a major access route to Damascus against armies coming from the west.  Due to its incredibly complex design and defense structure, the castle was never conquered.

While on the Golan Heights we visited Tel Faher (Golani Lookout) which is a former Syrian outpost that was captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967.  Tel Faher was the site of an intense battle between the IDF and the Syrians which ended in the conquest of this oupost by the Golani Brigade.  It was interesting to learn more about the battle, wander through the trenches, and pay tribute to those that lost their life there.

Another fun and educational weekend in the books.